Shootouts not kind to Columbus

Shootouts not kind to ColumbusThe inability to win shootouts was a fatal flaw for the Blue Jackets last season. They lost 10 of 12, including all four on the road.

The inability to win shootouts was a fatal flaw for the Blue Jackets last season. They lost 10 of 12, including all four on the road.
Advantage Margin: -26
One reason the Jackets had a lot of trouble winning away from Nationwide Arena was their inability to stay out of the penalty box. Their 181 power plays allowed away from home were the most in the NHL -- and 37 more than they drew from opponents.

Special Teams Goal Margin: -8
Percentage-wise, Columbus was a middle-of-the-pack team on both the power play (14th, 18.2 percent) and the penalty kill (17th, 81.7). The Jackets hurt themselves by surrendering nine shorthanded goals, including six on the road.

Goals by defensemen: 30Kris Russell (7) led the Jackets' blueliners in scoring. Columbus has yet to produce a big-time offensive defenseman since entering the NHL a decade ago -- the Jackets' 30 goals were actually four more than a year earlier.

Overtime Record
Total: 5-5-10 • OT: 3-5 • SO: 2-10
The inability to win shootouts was a fatal flaw for the Jackets, who lost 10 of 12, including all four on the road. The blame was spread equally: Shooters went just 13-for-50 (26 percent) while the goaltenders stopped just 56.5 percent of opposition attempts.

Times Scored First: 38 • Record: 20-12-6
Columbus scored first in 18 of its 41 road games and managed to win just seven of them (7-9-2). The Jackets' .526 winning percentage when scoring first was 28th in the NHL

Best 09-10 Number: 6-1-0
Columbus' record against the Southeast Division -- the only division against which the Jackets had a winning record. They were 2-6-3 against the other two divisions in the East and 24-28-12 against the West.

Worst 09-10 Number: .167
Columbus' winning percentage in shootouts, by far the lowest in the NHL (Calgary was next at .300). The Jackets' two victories were also a League low, while their 10 losses tied Dallas and Florida for the most in the NHL.

Scheduling
The Jackets start the season with two games against San Jose in Stockholm before playing their home opener on Oct. 15. They have no homestand longer than three games and no trip longer than four -- although two of those trips sandwich a two-game homestand in January, giving Columbus eight of 10 on the road.

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I don't have a crystal ball. Predicting is a real complicated thing. If we stay healthy, have enough depth and get the good goaltending we think we're going to have, you can go all the way. But a lot of things have to happen. There's going to be a lot of teams that think the same thing. Everyone made deals. We're all are optimistic about where we'll end up.

— Rangers general manager Glen Sather after being asked if he's constructed a team that can win the Stanley Cup before their 4-1 win against the Predators on Monday